The Magician’s Land
Lev Grossman
Viking Adult
Release Date: August 5
The final book in The Magicians trilogy is coming! What will Quentin Coldwater do now that he’s been banished back to Earth? Will he find a cunning way to maneuver back into Fillory? Will he apply his magical know-how to his regular life? Will he somehow merge the two worlds? Will he accidentally (or purposely) destroy one of the worlds? Will he end up destroying both? Is Julia still a dryad? What is happening in Fillory? I can’t take the suspense!
— Lana
I’m with Lana on the pick for this but I think for opposite reasons. I did not like The Magicians, only vaguely like The Magician King better, and quite frankly cannot wait for this series to be over. I’ll read it to keep up with the conversation but that’s where my loyalty ends. And please, no more rape-y nonsense, Mr.Grossman.
— Brenda
Isla and the Happily Ever After
Stephanie Perkins
Dutton
Release date: August 14
Anna and Etienne enchanted, Lola and Cricket delighted, and this August, quiet Isla is sure to charm in the third novel from Stephanie Perkins. Readers are back on familiar ground at the School of America in Paris (fondly called SOAP), where Isla Martin bashfully avoids contact with Josh after an awkward encounter in Manhattan. Perkins’ playful and insightful writing has drawn me into countless rereads of her first two books, and I’m only too happy to consume more of it.
— Angel
The Island of Excess Love
Francesca Lia Block
Henry Holt and Co.
Release Date: August 26
Francesca Lia Block is back with the sequel to Love in the Time of Global Warming. After suffering terrible losses and overcoming hardship in the first book, Pen now lives with her friends in a pink house by the sea. They are content until a mysterious ship appears and their heads fill with violent, disturbing visions. Since this book is based on the Aeneid, expect a tragic tale of wandering and loss, tempered with Block’s beautiful language.
— Sarah
Of Metal and Wishes
Sarah Fine
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: August 5
I’m excited for Sarah Fine’s Of Metal and Wishes, which is about sixteen year old Wen and wish granting ghosts. It’s about the treatment of labour and guilt . . . so can I read this now? The cover alone is gorgeous and I’m happy that it features diversity inside as well as out (the cover!). I haven’t read anything by Fine so this could very well be my next favourite series.
— Ardo
Player’s Handbook
Wizards RPG Team
Wizards of the Coast
Release Date: August 19
The newest edition of Dungeons & Dragons is slowly rolling out, and first up is the Player’s Handbook. While you can make characters with the Basic Rules that came out earlier this year, the Player’s Handbook has all of the in-depth information to fully flesh out your character. The art is incredible, based on some of the previews available, and there’s a lot of information on different backgrounds, races, skills, and classes, as well as how to advance your character.
— Sarah
Servants of the Storm
Delilah S Dawson
Simon Pulse
Release Date: August 5
After Hurricane Josephine swept through Georgia things haven’t been the same for Dovey. Not only is her best friend dead, she’s been seeing things—things that just shouldn’t be there. Determined to learn the truth, she soon finds out that the hurricane wasn’t a regular storm and that there are much darker, supernatural forces at play. I may be a total chicken when it comes to scary movies, but I love creepy books. This sounds like exactly the kind of all-consuming story that will keep me up all night, desperate to find out what’s going to happen next.
— Christa
